Behavioral Interventions 261
table 7.5. a 10-muscle-group protocol for progressive muscle relaxation
Muscle group Tense–release procedure
- Dominant arm “Extend your right arm (i.e., dominant) straight out, make a tight fist, and
tighten whole arm from hand to shoulder. Notice tension in biceps, forearm,
elbow, wrist, and fingers. Then relax, bending arm at elbow and resting it on
your lap.” - Nondominant arm “Extend your left arm (i.e., nondominant) straight out, make a tight fist, and
tighten whole arm from hand to shoulder. Notice tension in biceps, forearm,
elbow, wrist, and fingers. Then relax, bending arm at elbow and resting it on
your lap.” - Forehead “Wrinkle forehead by lifting the eyebrows as high as you can, push your
eyebrows up, putting tension in the forehead and scalp areas. Then slowly relax,
letting your eyebrows drop and notice the release of tension in the forehead.” - Eyes and nose “Close your eyes very tightly, squint them hard so you can feel tension around
your eyes. At the same time, wrinkle your nose, again pushing your nose hard
against your face. Notice the tension around the eyes, nose, and upper cheeks.
Slowly relax, release the tension around your eyes and nose by not squinting
your eyes or wrinkling your nose. Keep your eyes closed and focus on the
relaxed feelings around your eyes and nose.” - Jaw and neck “Tense the mouth, jaw, and neck regions by making an exaggerated grin, clench
the teeth, and tighten your neck by drawing your mouth and chin inward.
Notice the tightness of your muscles around the mouth, jaw, and front part of
the neck. As you release the tension, focus on the feeling of relaxation in these
regions of the face and neck.” - Shoulders and back “Move forward in the chair and bring the elbows up and back so that you can
feel your shoulder blades being pushed together. At the same time the chest is
being pulled out. Notice the tension in the shoulders and upper back. Gradually
release the tension by sitting back in the chair, placing your arms in your lap
and allowing the shoulders to fall back into their normal position. Focus on the
release of tension in the shoulders and down the middle of the back.” - Chest “Tighten the chest by taking a deep breath and then hold it. Feel the tension in
the chest as you constrict and pull it in. As you relax focus on how loose the
chest muscles now feel.” - Stomach “Tighten the stomach by pulling it in and making it as hard as a board. Notice
the tension in your stomach and how hard it feels. As you release the tightness
in your stomach, notice how it feels to switch from tension to relaxation.” - Dominant leg “Lift your right (i.e., dominant) leg off the floor so that your leg is fully
extended outward, bend your toes inward toward you, and tighten your whole
leg as much as possible. Notice the tension in your foot, calf, knees, and
thighs. Gradually relax, lowering your leg back to the floor and bending your
knee slightly so that your foot is squarely on the floor. Notice the feeling of
relaxation that now permeates through the entire length of the leg.” - Nondominant leg “Lift your left (i.e., nondominant) leg off the floor so that your leg is fully
extended outward, bend your toes inward toward you, and tighten your whole
leg as much as possible. Notice the tension in your foot, calf, knees, and
thighs. Gradually relax, lowering your leg back to the floor and bending your
knee slightly so that your foot is squarely on the floor. Notice the feeling of
relaxation that now permeates through the entire length of the leg.”
Note. Based on Bernstein and Borkovec (1973) and Cautela and Groden (1978).